On Thursday, Israeli tanks penetrated a village located in the center Gaza Strip. This came after many days of unrelenting bombing, which resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinian people who had previously been forced to evacuate with their family.

A journalist from Palestine shared photographs of Israeli tanks near a mosque in a densely populated region of Bureij. The armored force appeared to have moved from orchards located on the eastern boundaries of the Palestinian territory.

Israeli troops struck the region around a hospital in the center of Khan Younis, the most crucial city in Gaza’s southern region. Residents of Khan Younis were concerned about a fresh ground push into territory that was already congested with people who had been forced to flee their homes as a result of the 12-week conflict between Israel and Hamas.

As a result of Israel’s most recent lethal bombing, twenty Palestinians were murdered, and fifty-five others were injured in Rafah, a large town located close to the southern border with Egypt, according to Ashraf Al-Qidra, a spokesman for the Gaza health ministry. As far as local medics and locals are concerned, their bombed building was sheltering citizens who had been previously relocated.

According to a video obtained by Reuters, rescue workers were seen quickly searching through the debris to locate and rescue casualties, who included a newborn and many children. They then rushed the patients to the Kuwaiti Hospital, which was located close, amid crowds of people who were disoriented and crying.

Palestinian health officials said yesterday that 210 Palestinians had been proven to have been killed in Israeli attacks over the last twenty-four hours. This brings the total number of Palestinians who have been murdered in the conflict to 21,320, which is approximately one percent of Gaza’s population. A further tens of thousands of people were thought to have been buried or lost among the wreckage.

Throughout the conflict, the Israeli military has expressed sadness for the deaths of civilians. Yet, it has also accused Hamas of operating in densely populated areas and using people as human shields, which is an allegation that Hamas has denied.

Since shortly before Christmas, Israel has significantly increased the intensity of its ground attack in Gaza, even though the United States, Israel’s closest friend, has publicly pleaded with Israel to reduce the intensity of the campaign in the last weeks of the year.

It began the war to destroy the militant Islamist Hamas movement that is in control of Gaza. This came about when fighters carried out a cross-border operation on October 7, during which they killed around 1,200 people and took approximately 240 captives.

A representative for the Israeli government stated on Thursday that out of the captives, 110 were released during a brief ceasefire that took place at the end of November, and another 23 have been ruled dead in absentia pending further investigation.

The primary concentration of the battle is currently in the central districts south of the marshes that divide the short coastal strip. Israeli troops have issued orders for people to evacuate these areas over the previous few days as their tanks have been getting closer.

On Thursday, tens of thousands of people leaving the densely populated districts of Nusseirat, Bureij, and Maghazi were moving south or west toward the already overrun city of Deir al-Balah along the Mediterranean coast. They were pouring into camps of temporary tents that had been quickly constructed.

In a post on social media, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is the primary United Nations organization working in Gaza, stated that “over 150,000 people – young children, women carrying babies, people with disabilities, and the elderly – have nowhere to go.”

On Thursday morning, the eastern half of Bureij was a theater of fierce action, with Israeli tanks thrusting in from the north and east, according to civilians and militants. The violence escalated throughout the morning.

Omar, who is sixty years old, stated that he had been compelled to relocate with at least 35 family members. “That moment has come; I wish it would never happen, but it seems displacement is a must,” he claimed. Because he feared being punished, he chose not to reveal his surname.

Yamen Hamad, who has been residing at a school in Deir al-Balah ever since he fled from the north, stated that the people who had just been displaced from Bureij and Nusseirat were erecting tents wherever there was open land.

FIGHTING NEAR THE HOSPITAL IN KHAN YOUNIS Khan Younis, which is where Israeli troops pushed this month after a truce broke down on December 1, also came under intense shelling on Thursday morning from jets and tanks near the al-Amal hospital, which is located west of Israeli lines.

Ten Palestinians were killed, and twelve others were injured in a single bombing that took place at the hospital, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, which operates the hospital and has its headquarters in the vicinity. This was the third attack that targeted the area around the hospital in less than an hour.

The residents of the area expressed their belief that Israeli soldiers were attempting to incite a new exodus in preparation for a subsequent ground attack.

A short distance away, at Nasser Hospital, which is the primary medical facility in Khan Younis and the largest hospital in Gaza that is still operational, women and children screamed as medical personnel carried in the injured and deceased.

A little child was lying motionless on a cot as medical personnel attempted to bring him back to life. One of the doctors stated, “No,” indicating that the child had passed away.

During the ground assault, Israel announced the deaths of three more of its soldiers, bringing the total number of soldiers killed to 169. Some of the most significant casualties of the conflict have occurred during the previous week.

Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million citizens have been forced to leave their homes at least once, and many of them have been forced to leave their houses many times. Even now, there are just a few operational hospitals.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, the Israeli military issued a statement on Thursday expressing its “regret” for the harm caused to uninvolved civilians as a result of an air attack that occurred on December 24 at the Maghazi refugee camp. The strike resulted in the deaths of seventy individuals.

A preliminary investigation revealed that more structures in the vicinity were also bombed, “which likely caused unintended harm to additional uninvolved civilians,” according to the statement. Two targets were struck by airplanes that were located next to the location where Hamas terrorists were operating. It further stated: “The IDF… is acting to draw conclusions and learn lessons from this event.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Health condemned the incident as a slaughter that took place in a residential plaza that was packed with people.

This month, Vice President Joe Biden of the United States issued a warning that “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza might put Israel’s allies’ support for the country in jeopardy. Israel should cease its full-scale combat assault and instead focus on a targeted effort against Hamas leaders, according to statements made by the United States government.

Egypt, which has been acting as a mediator and hosted the head of Hamas last week, stated that it had presented a proposal to halt the killing, which included a three-stage plan for a ceasefire, but that it had not yet heard the reactions from the warring sides.

While Palestinians grieved the deaths of more than one hundred persons who were murdered overnight in Israeli bombings, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to continue the war against Hamas terrorists on Monday. Gaza health authorities said that Israeli airstrikes were responsible for the deaths.

In the eleven-week-long conflict between Israel and Hamas, Netanyahu paid a visit to Israeli forces stationed in the northern Gaza Strip. This visit occurred just a few hours after one of the worst nights in the besieged zone.

Israel has been under pressure from its closest ally, the United States, to move operations in Gaza to a lower-intensity phase and limit civilian fatalities as a form of retaliation against Hamas for their deadly cross-border raid that occurred on October 7.

Netanyahu warned MPs from his Likud party that the conflict was not even close to ending. He also disputed what he referred to as media rumors that his administration might call a halt to the battle. He predicted that Israel would not be able to successfully liberate its other prisoners if it did not initially apply military pressure.

No, we are not going to quit. “The war will continue until the end, until we finish it, no less,” Netanyahu declared during his visit to Gaza. He has ignored appeals from the international community for a truce.

At a burial in Gaza, a line of Palestinian mourners caressed the white shrouds that were placed over the remains of at least seventy people. According to Palestinian health authorities, an airstrike that hit Maghazi in the middle of the strip killed these people.

According to Ibrahim Youssef, a man, his wife, and four children, including a newborn who was only four months old, were buried under the debris of the house in Maghazi, where they were residing.

He questioned, “What exactly did they do wrong?” “Were there resistance fighters here?”

There was a continuation of the strikes that started a few hours before midnight on Monday. Israel has reportedly increased its air and ground bombardment in the center of Gaza, according to Palestinian media.

Ashraf Al-Qidra, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health, stated that a significant number of people being murdered in Maghazi were females and children. As a result of Israeli planes and tanks striking homes and highways in the neighboring towns of al-Bureij and al-Nusseirat, eight additional people lost their lives, according to health officials.

An Israeli attack on Khan Younis, which is located in southern Gaza, resulted in the deaths of 23 Palestinians, raising the total number of Palestinians who died overnight to more than 100.

In a Christmas speech, Pope Francis referred to children who are dying as the “little Jesuses of today.” He stated that Israeli attacks were resulting in an “appalling harvest” of innocent people. This statement was made about the conflict in Gaza.

The Israeli army stated that it was evaluating the report of an event that occurred in Maghazi and that it was dedicated to minimizing the amount of harm that was caused to civilians. Israel asserts that Hamas operates in regions with a high population density and employs people as human shields; Hamas, however, disputes these allegations.

CELEBRATIONS IN BETHLEHEM HAVE BEEN CANCELLED

Bethlehem, a city in the West Bank controlled by Israel and where Christian tradition asserts that Jesus was born in a stable two thousand years ago, had its celebrations called off by the clergy of the Christian faith.

Palestinian Christians held a Christmas vigil in Bethlehem, including hymns and prayers for peace in Gaza. The vigil was lit with candles.

There was no vast tree, often the focal point of Bethlehem’s Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. The placement of nativity figurines in churches amidst the debris and barbed wire present was a show of sympathy for the people of Gaza.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two smaller terrorist organizations that are both dedicated to the destruction of Israel, are believed to be holding more than one hundred hostages in Gaza. These groups are said to have abducted 240 prisoners during their rampage through Israeli cities on October 7, during which they managed to murder 1,200 people.

Since then, Israel has thrown away a significant portion of the thin strip. The authorities in Gaza, which Hamas runs, have reported that there have been about 20,700 deaths in Gaza, including 250 deaths in the past twenty-four hours.

The great majority of Gaza’s population, which is estimated to be more than 2.3 million people, has been forced to flee their homes, and the United Nations has stated that the humanitarian situation is grave.

The Israeli military said on Monday that two of its troops had passed away in the previous day, increasing the total number of soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of combat operations on October 20 to 158.

Three different security sources have independently reported that an Israeli bombing that took place on Monday outside of Damascus, the capital of Syria, resulted in the death of a top adviser in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

According to the people who spoke with Reuters, the adviser, who goes by the name Sayyed Razi Mousavi, was in charge of managing the military alliance between Syria and Iran, which provides support to Hamas in Gaza.

According to a statement that was broadcast on Iranian official television, the Revolutionary Guards of Iran declared that Israel “will pay for this crime.”

Israel’s military chief of staff announced on Saturday that his troops had mainly secured operational control in the northern part of Gaza and that they would push their operations as far as they could in the southern part of the territory.

However, locals claim that the violence has only become more intense in the northern areas.

There has been very little public progress made as a result of diplomatic efforts led by Egypt and Qatar to negotiate a fresh ceasefire to liberate the remaining hostages who are being held in Gaza.

An Egyptian proposal to transfer authority in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a lasting truce was offered during discussions in Cairo. According to two Egyptian security officials who spoke to Reuters on Monday, Hamas and the affiliated Islamic Jihad have expressed their refusal to accept the idea.

The terrorist organizations have stated that they are not prepared to negotiate any release of captives unless Israel ceases its assault in Gaza. On the other hand, the Israelis have stated that they are only willing to discuss a halt to the continuing combat.

Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, issued a plea on Friday for an immediate stop to the conflict in Gaza as well as an international peace conference to be held in order to find a long-term political solution that would ultimately result in the foundation of a Palestinian state.

Abbas, who is 87 years old, stated that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in general has reached a worrisome stage that calls for an international conference and assurances from global powers. He made this statement during an interview with Reuters in his office in Ramallah.

In addition to Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza, he stated that Israeli troops had increased their attacks over the whole occupied West Bank over the past year, with Israelis increasing the level of violence against Palestinian villages.

The long-standing occupation was ended by diplomacy rather than through violent opposition, as he restated his viewpoint, which he has held for a long time.

I am a member of the nonviolent resistance. He stated, “I am in favor of negotiations that are based on an international peace conference and that are conducted under international auspices. These negotiations would lead to a solution that would be protected by world powers which would result in the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.”

At the same time that Israel was increasing its attacks on Gaza, Abbas was speaking. Over 17,000 people have been killed, 46,000 have been injured, and over 1.9 million people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the conflict that has lasted for two months. More than half of these people seek refuge along the Egyptian border or the central region of Gaza.

One of the most senior officials in the United States stated that the concept of holding an international conference had been discussed among many partners. However, the plan was still in the very early stages of development.

According to the official, who spoke anonymously, “It is one of many options that are on the table that we and others would consider with an open mind,” but noted that no decision had been taken.

After Hamas terrorists went on a rampage across Israeli cities on October 7, murdering 1,200 people and capturing 240 captives, Israel commenced its campaign to exterminate the Hamas movement that administers Gaza. According to Israeli accounts, the war was undertaken so that Israel could eliminate the Hamas movement.

Abbas stated that he would restore the debilitated Palestinian Authority, execute long-awaited reforms, and organize presidential and parliamentary elections, which were delayed when Hamas won in 2006 and later forced the PA out of Gaza. He added that he would do all these things based on a binding international agreement.

Although he stated that the Palestinian Authority had complied with all of the peace agreements that had been struck with Israel since the Oslo Accords of 1993 and the subsequent understandings that had been reached over the years, he also stated that Israel had broken its promises to end the occupation.

THE ELECTION OF DEMOCRATICS
In response to a question about whether or not he would be willing to risk having elections because Hamas may repeat its victory from 2006, he responded, “Whoever wins wins, these will be democratic elections.”

Abbas stated that he had intended to have elections in April 2021; however, the representative of the European Union informed him before to the deadline that Israel was expressing opposition to holding polls in East Jerusalem, which resulted in Abbas being compelled to cancel the elections.

According to him, the Palestinian Authority (PA) had previously organized three rounds of elections that included East Jerusalem before Israel enforced the prohibition. He stressed that there would be no elections without East Jerusalem having been included.

During the 1967 conflict in the Middle East, Israel took control of Arab East Jerusalem. In a subsequent step, it annexed the city and declared the entire city its capital, a decision not acknowledged by the international community. According to Palestinians, the capital of their future state should be located in East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) would seize control of the strip, which is home to 2.3 million people, according to a post-war plan that was negotiated with officials from the United States. Abbas did not provide a precise picture of this plan. According to statements made by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, Israel would not tolerate the current situation in which the Palestinian Authority is in control of Gaza.

In response to a proposal that Israel has been putting up to construct a security zone in Gaza after the conflict, he stated, “The United States tells us that it supports a two-state solution, that Israel is not allowed to occupy Gaza, to keep security control of Gaza, or to expropriate land from Gaza.”

“America doesn’t force Israel to implement what it says.”

He stated that the Palestinian Authority (PA) continued to maintain its presence in Gaza as an institution and that it continued to pay monthly wages and expenditures totaling around 140 million dollars to employees, retirees, and families in need. More than three Palestinian Authority ministers are still present in Gaza, he noted.

“We need rehabilitation, we need big support to return to Gaza,” stressed President Abbas.

Today’s Gaza is not the Gaza that you are familiar with. Gaza was annihilated, including its mosques, schools, hospitals, and other educational institutions, as well as its infrastructure, buildings, and roads were devastated. Nothing is left to be claimed. As soon as we get back, we will want resources, and Gaza will require rehabilitation.

“The United States, which fully supports Israel, bears the responsibility for what is happening in the enclave,” added President Abbas.

Even though it is the only power that can tell Israel to cease the war and fulfill its duties, it does not do so. The United States of America supports Israel.